


A Film for Troye

by shipsandthings



Category: Video Blogging & YouTube RPF
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Romantic declarations, Secret Relationship, So Much Cuteness, cuteness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-12
Updated: 2014-08-12
Packaged: 2018-02-12 19:37:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2122212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shipsandthings/pseuds/shipsandthings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Connor and Troye have been hiding their relationship for months now, but the long-distance between them is starting to take a toll. So, Connor decides to take a cue from Jack Harries and catch a flight to Australia.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Film for Troye

**Author's Note:**

> This idea came from a prompt by Tumblr user megatronnor3000. It kind of spiraled out of control, but I hope you enjoy it!

**Connor**

**Present: July**

Connor had a weakness for grand romantic gestures. He loved cheesy movies where the boy runs through the airport to kiss the girl before she flies halfway across the world, melodramatic love confessions in the pouring rain, deliveries of a dozen red roses, works of sentimental poetry.

Basically, he was a sap.

That was probably why he was wiping away a stray tear while watching the newest JacksGap video: “A Film for Ella.” It featured Jack Harries, a friend of his, surprising his girlfriend by spontaneously traveling from London to Sydney to visit on her birthday. Her reaction when she saw him, the hug, the music. It was all perfectly crafted to make him cry, and it succeeded in spades.

After composing himself, feeling a bit silly that a five-minute video had such an effect on him, he typed out a quick tweet to Jack—“this is beautiful - well done, @jackharries” and a link to the film. Then he closed his laptop, trying to get something done instead of merely surfing the Internet for hours.

However, instead of moving, he sat there on his bed, thinking. Why did the video have such a powerful effect on him?

But that was no mystery.

* * *

**Past: February**

“Why do keep Skyping me? Stalker,” Troye joked. The image of him was slightly blurred on Connor's screen as he moved around, never able to sit perfectly still. He reached beside him, took a sip of water from a glass and became a grayish blob on the screen.

“Stop moving,” Connor said before Troye finally came back into focus. “And I'm not stalking you. I just miss you.”

“We saw each other like last week. Don't you remember? San Francisco.” Troye threw him a sideways grin, the one that made Connor kind of forget how to breathe. “Why do you seem to always end up where I do? Now that I think about it, maybe you really are a stalker.”

“Am not.” They watched each other on the screen for a moment. Sometimes Connor was really grateful to Skype—without it he could never have this face-to-face conversation with someone so far away. Other times he hated it because it magnified just how awkward he could be. Especially while trying to appear cool during conversations with the person he maybe, possibly liked.

All of a sudden, Troye blurted out, “Okay, maybe I miss you too.” Connor felt familiar butterflies bustle in his stomach. He'd never get tired of being missed.

The thing was, he knew he liked Troye, and not in only a friendly way. He knew Troye liked him too, but for the moment, he wasn't sure how much. There were hints that maybe Troye had feelings for him too, especially since San Francisco, but for now, they danced around the question like they couldn't get a read on each other. Like neither of them was quite brave enough to reach out.

But tonight Connor was feeling spontaneous. He reached towards his bedside table—the sudden movement throwing his webcam into distress—and grabbed his vlogging camera. He showed it to Troye on the screen. “Hey, do you think I could record just a bit? For, you know, a vlog. I haven't filmed anything very exciting lately.”

Troye rolled his eyes. “C'mon, Connor, we both know you're too lazy for vlogging. This will never make it to YouTube.”

“You never know,” Connor said, flicking the camera on. “So, is it okay?”

“Fine,” Troye said. “But if you ever manage to upload this, I'll be shocked.”

“Well, I look forward to surprising you.” Connor pressed the button to start recording, supported his elbow on the bed, and pointed towards the screen.

It was hard to explain. He and Troye weren't something just yet, but there was a tiny, buried part of Connor that knew they would be, someday. When the two of them hung out with Tyler in San Francisco, he started to get to know Troye on a much more personal basis. And perhaps he was being presumptuous, but he felt like one day they'd be together, and he'd want to have this footage of them—fumbling around their feelings and not quite ready to share them. (But maybe he was crazy. Maybe it wasn't like that.)

Connor had figured out he was gay (Or at least somewhere in the middle. He wasn't sure.) a few months earlier. He'd had girlfriends in the past, but that was because it was what you were _supposed_ to do. On his last trip to Minnesota, he'd come out to his family, who supported him instantly and unconditionally. The first friend he told was Tyler, who was starting to help him figure himself out. He told Troye a bit later in San Francisco.

But now, he was awkwardly trying to get back into the swing of vlogging. “Hey, so me and Troye are Skyping,” Connor said. “We just saw each other in California, but now he's back home in Perth.”

“That's right,” Troye said, clearly unsure what the purpose of this vlog was.

“So, Troye, is it true that it's already tomorrow in Australia?”

“No, you're living in yesterday, Connor.”

“We have this argument all the time. But since the world revolves America, I think we should determine what the proper date is,” he said sarcastically.

“You're too much,” Troye said, before they settled back into casual conversation for a while longer. Connor almost forgot he was holding his camera until his forearm started to seriously kill.

“Well, I don't know what the fuck time it is in Australia, but it's like two AM here,” Connor said with an exaggerated yawn. “So, maybe we should sign off?”

Troye nodded, though he looked like he wasn't ready to say goodbye. “Yeah, I think I should probably leave my bed at least once today.” He glanced off to the side, maybe looking out the window. “But I have no motivation.”

Connor chuckled and said, “See you tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” Troye laughed. “You're such a stalker.”

“Shut up, you love me.” Connor switched off his camera and then shook out his sore arm. It seriously ached. As he reached for his track pad to end the call, he noticed the odd expression on Troye's face. “What?” he asked.

“Nothing,” Troye said, his voice higher-pitched than usual. “Nothing. Goodbye.” He waved, his hand only a blur.

“Bye,” Connor answered, and he scrolled the mouse over to hang up. As he set his computer over on his desk and slid under the covers, he found he couldn't stop thinking about Troye. He had a feeling he'd be getting used to that.

* * *

**Present: July**

Connor almost forgot that Tyler was supposed to be visiting him today until he heard the doorbell ring. He tucked his phone into his pocket and rolled off his bed before walking to the front door. When he pulled open the entrance, Tyler was standing there, hands on his hips and a bright smile on his face.

“Hey,” Connor said, pulling him into a quick hug. He stepped aside and let him inside.

“Hey,” Tyler echoed. He made his way to the living room. Connor was still living in the O2L house, though he was planning to move out shortly. At the very least, it was somewhat early in the morning and the other boys were still asleep. “So, are we gonna stay here or make a run for it before the animals get hungry and need attention?” Tyler asked.

Referring to the boys as “animals” was Tyler's way of showing affection. At least, Connor thought it was. “I was thinking we should go to—”

“Starbucks,” Tyler interrupted with a smile.

“You know me well,” Connor said. He dashed back up to his room to retrieve his wallet. “You wanna drive?”

“Sure thing,” replied Tyler, heading back towards the front door.

* * *

 **Past: March**  

“And this is my boyfriend, Troye,” Connor said, swinging the camera around to face him. He and the other boys were on a train in Italy, heading to their next stop on their European adventure. The two were sharing a booth with Tyler while the Italian countryside slid by them.

Troye's mouth hung slightly open. “Um, but I thought—”

“Relax, I'm muting it,” Connor said, moving the camera to point out the window as the scenery flew past. “I'll put some bopping music over the footage, it'll be great.” After a few seconds, he pointed the camera back at his friends.

Troye bit his lip. “But we're not, like, boyfriends.”

“Oh my god, Troye, are you friend-zoning Connor right in front of me?” Tyler cried, suddenly looking up from his phone. Thus far, he'd been pretty much ignoring the two of them.

“Tyler, the friend-zone is a social construct created by the patriarchy. Haven't you ever been on Tumblr?” Troye replied.

Tyler looked mildly offended at his accusation. “Excuse me, I am the _queen_ of Tumblr, thank you very much. I just want to know how you two are not boyfriends. You've been holding hands all across Italy, and I know you've been making out when I'm not looking. You're so cute I want to throw up.”

“Well, maybe if Connor asked me whether I wanted to be his boyfriend...” Troye shot Connor a meaningful look. “Then maybe I might agree.”

“I thought it was understood!” Connor cried defensively. “I mean, I confessed my feelings for you like the day you arrived, and we've been... you know, ever since.”

“Fine, I'll ask.” Troye sighed dramatically. He turned and looked him directly in the eye. “Connor, do you want to be my boyfriend?”

“Um, _yes._ ”

“Good, it's settled then.” Troye grabbed him by the hand. It felt warm pressed against his. “It's official.”

For the rest of the Italy trip, Connor filmed the various sights sporadically. Every so often, he caught a shot of Troye walking around, talking with the others, being generally cute. Knowing he was just going to put music over all the footage, he spoke freely, narrating the whole thing. But there was a part of him that knew, deep down, that there was a little more of a purpose to the filming than a simple vlog with electronic music playing over it.

He was keeping it for when the time was right.

* * *

**Present: July**

“So, what's gotten to you?” Tyler asked when he and Connor took a seat at one of the Starbucks booths. Tyler ordered a caramel frapuccino while Connor got a vanilla iced latte to combat the summer heat.

“What do you mean what's gotten to me? I'm fine.”

Tyler rolled his eyes. Connor couldn't get anything past him, and it was part of the reason they were so close. Since he couldn't hide anything from Tyler, he didn't really have any choice in the matter. Not that he didn't love him, of course.

“You've barely said a word to me, and you have this thoughtful little look on your face. Something's up, so spill.” Tyler chugged down some of his espresso-laced, glorified milkshake and fixed his gaze on his friend.

Connor took a long sip of his latte, savoring the sweet taste before he had to explain himself. He knew Tyler only wanted to help, and talking to him was typically beneficial, but he didn't like to spend his time spilling his heart out in public coffee shops. Finally, he said, “Have you seen Jack Harries' new video?”

“The one he made for his girlfriend? _Of course_ , only about ten times. Super cute, am I right?”

“Yeah, it's really sweet.” Connor stirred his straw around his drink, ice cubes knocking against each other. “I mean, the video was really well done and nice and everything, but I guess it just reminded me of... him.”

“Troye.”

Connor nodded silently. He shrugged his shoulders, bit his lip. He didn't know what else to say. Tyler already knew it all. “It's been almost a month since I've seen him, and I guess it's just been hard. Like, I keep myself busy, I do all these things, but I'm constantly thinking about him.”

“Babe,” Tyler said, sounding sympathetic. He patted him on the back of the hand until Connor looked up to meet his eyes. “So, what you're telling me is that Jack's video reminded you of you and Troye. It reminded you of how much you miss him.”

“Pretty much.”

Suddenly, Tyler clapped his hands together and opened his mouth wide, as if he'd just gotten an incredible idea. At the abrupt noise, Connor's gaze jumped up to meet his.

With a smirk, Tyler asked, “So, why don't you just... take a cue? Go to Australia and see this boy you've been missing so much.” Tyler leaned back in his chair, looked satisfied with himself. “See? Simple as that.”

“But it's not that simple.”

“Yes, it is. If you can spend all your time pining over this boy from afar, then I'm pretty sure you have the time to fly out and actually _see_ him.”

The more Tyler talked, the more Connor could see that he was actually right. All of a sudden, he could feel the caffeine kick in, and his mind started whirring with the possibilities. It wasn't like Connor had a full-time job to call off. The tour was over; Vidcon was over. As long as he pulled together a video or two, he was free to go wherever he wanted.

There was only one problem.

“But if I randomly end up in Perth for no reason... People are going to talk.”

“So?” Tyler's question was sharp, like a jab to the gut. He was, as per usual, right. So what if people talked? They did little else.

“I guess I'm nervous because I haven't told anyone on the Internet about me and Troye. Or, you know, about me being gay. That stuff is all private.”

“Connor, listen to me.” Tyler's usual grin was replaced with a more serious expression. “Yes, if you hop a fourteen-hour flight people will talk. Yes, they will probably suspect what is going on between you two. And yes, you could lie and say you're just friends.” He paused before saying, “But I've seen that folder on your desktop. The one with all that footage of you and Troye. And I know you're not keeping it to take up disc space. I know you're keeping it for a purpose.”

Looking straight at him, Tyler said, slowly and clearly, “I think this might be the time. You've been together for over five months now, and I know how much you care about him. I think it's time.”

“Tyler, what do you mean?”

“Here's what I'm saying. You book the next flight to Perth. Or you get a connecting flight from Sydney, whatever works. You visit the boy you've been missing; you have a wonderful time. You film it, like Jack. And when you're ready...”

“When I'm ready, I make a video.” Connor let the lull in conversation wash over him as he formulated the plan in his mind. “I make a video. That, I know how to do.”

* * *

**Past: June**

“Hey, guys, it's me Connor, vlogging from Vidcon.”

Connor was sitting behind the main stage on the first night of Vidcon while Troye was about to go on stage to introduce TRXYE, his very secret project. He could hear the crowd shouting and cheering in anticipation.

“To be honest, I don't know when this vlog will go up. Or even if it will go up. But I guess if you're watching this then I uploaded it, so... I don't know. I'm confusing myself.” While a bunch of his friends were consistently vlogging Vidcon, this was the first time he'd pulled out his camera. “Anyway, I'm backstage because Troye is about to go onstage with Tyler to introduce his new EP. I'm sure you guys will know all about that by now.”

All of a sudden, the cheers from outside jolted in volume. Clearly, Troye must have walked out on stage. Under the current of screams, Connor could recognize the very familiar chant of “Troyler.” He didn't let it get to him, though. He was used to it. Once, it bothered him but not anymore. He knew where he stood.

“I really am so proud of Troye,” he said into the camera while the screams continued. “I feel like I've been hearing him talk about his music forever, and now all these great things are happening at once for him. That makes me really happy, you know, to see him so happy.”

After not vlogging for a while, Connor had forgotten how strangely therapeutic it could be to just talk to a camera. It was an opportunity to be completely honest, and even though he was just talking to himself, it felt like he was sending a message in a bottle—packaging up his thoughts to send out into the world.

“He's playing a little clip of his first song now, 'Happy Little Pill.'” In the background, the chorus of the song started to play, picked up faintly by his camera. “I've heard the whole thing, and I'm sure you guys will have too by the time I finally edit this video. I think it's really amazing, and it means a lot that Troye would have thought to... thought to write a song about me.” He smiled and for some reason felt tears pooling at the corners of his eyes. He wiped them away, feeling silly.

The crew members and other people backstage looked over at him, probably wondering why he was close to crying. Hannah was backstage too. She was a good friend of his, but she didn't approach, seeming to understand what was going on. She and a select few of their friends knew that he and Troye were dating.

Taking a deep breath, Connor wrapped up his vlog with, “I'm just really proud of him. That's all.”

Then he forced a smile through the brimming tears before he flipped the camera off. He waited for Troye to come back.

* * *

**Present: July**

It was eight-thirty in the evening by the time Connor flopped onto his bed, laptop in hand. He had spent the afternoon with Tyler, who'd helped him plan out how to surprise Troye. Afterward, they filmed a collab for Auguest. Now, he had some time to himself.

Connor did a quick calculation in his head, figuring out that if was eight-thirty in LA then it would be half-past eleven in the morning over in Perth. To be honest, pretty much the only time he used math was to convert time zones and calculate tips at restaurants. Figuring that Troye was probably up by now, he called him on Skype. A few rings later, Troye connected.

“You're lucky I was awake,” Troye said when he answered.

“It's almost noon, don't you have anything to do?” Connor leaned back into the pillows on his bed, trying to get comfortable.

“Yeah, actually I do. That's the only reason I'm up.” Troye looked well, if not a bit tired. He was dressed for the day in an oversized sweater, and his hair looked a perfect combination of messy and styled. “So what did you do today?”

“I hung out with Tyler mostly. We went to Starbucks and filmed a couple collabs at his place. Then I came home and called you.”

After saying that, he remembered the video. He and Tyler had discussed it a bit more, and Connor now knew what he wanted to do with it. This would make the perfect footage for the lead-up to when he flew to Australia and surprised Troye. As casually as he could, Connor asked, “By the way, can I film a bit? I know it's weird but I need a little clip for my video on Monday.”

Troye looked skeptical, eyebrows raised. “Really, what's the topic? Advice on how to keep your relationship with your secret boyfriend fresh?”

Connor frowned. Troye sounded a little upset, which was not what he wanted at all. “No, it's an advice video, and one part's about keeping in touch with long-distance friends or significant others. I'll have a clip of me Skyping you from halfway across the world.” This was a cover of course, but Troye didn't have to know that yet. Connor turned on the camera and pointed it at the screen.

Troye shrugged, agreeing to the filming. “I see. But if you're really making a video about that, you can't just gloss over everything. It's really hard live on another hemisphere, another continent from the person you love. Especially when you can't even talk about it.”

“Talk about what?”

“Us.” Troye paused and looked up at the ceiling, as if he couldn't vocalize what he wanted to say. Finally, quieter, he said, “I mean, our friends and family know, but it's like you're so dedicated to pretending we don't exist. It's been six months, and we're still acting like we have to fool everyone.”

“Troye...”

This was maybe the first time they'd talked about the distance and secrecy, and how both strained their relationship. When you can only see your boyfriend at big YouTube events or the occasional international visit, things get tough. Maybe if they could drive a couple minutes to see each other, they wouldn't have to have this trouble, but right now it was all they knew.

“No, I'm not mad. I'm trying not to be mad,” Troye said, sighing. “Distance is just hard. I'm sure it wouldn't bother me so much if you were, you know... here.”

Connor tried to smile, tried to reassure him. “We'll be together soon. There's, um, there's Playlist Tri-State in a couple months. And I'll text you, call you every day.”

“Yeah, I know. I'm just... I miss you, okay? That's it.”

Connor didn't like seeing Troye upset, not at all, but he also knew that his surprise would be all the better because of how much they missed each other. They hadn't been separated for terribly long, less than a month, but there was the prospect of being apart for months more ahead of them. Seeing him between now and then would be the ultimate surprise.

“It's gonna be okay, Troye. I promise.”

* * *

**Past: Early July**

After Vidcon was over, Connor and Troye spent a few more days together in LA. Some of their other international friends stayed in California for a bit too, and they'd hung out throughout the week. They'd gone out on the Fourth of July with Marcus and Niomi, and seen Louise, Zoe, and a couple other friends as well. But now the week had zipped by in a flash, and it was time for Troye's flight home.

Connor was driving him to the airport to see him off. He felt like his muscles were tight with tension as he drove, each mile bringing him closer to LAX where they would have to part. Troye noticed how tense he was because of course he did. Because he knew him.

“Are you okay?” he asked as Connor awkwardly jerked the car into a parking spot.

He was about to lie, but there was no point to doing so. Troye saw straight into him. “No, I don't want you to go.” Connor turned off the car and pocketed the key. Without the humming of the engine, the car felt dangerously quiet.

“I don't want to go either. You know that.”

“Yeah, I know.” He let out a long breath, tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. “Okay, you don't want to miss your flight. Let me help you with your bags.”

Troye looked like he wanted to say something more, but instead they simply exited the car and retrieved his suitcase and carry-on from the trunk. He slung his bag over his shoulder while Connor took hold of his rolling suitcase. Connor started to head towards the entrance of the airport, but Troye held him back by grasping his forearm and turning him around.

“What?”

“I think you forgot something,” Troye replied. Without another word, he leaned in to kiss him lightly on the lips. When he pulled back, he explained, “I'm not big on, like, gross airport PDA. The parking lot seems a lot classier.”

“Really?” Connor laughed and stole one last kiss from him, warm and soft. “But seriously, the LA traffic was killer. We gotta go or you'll miss your flight.”

“That wouldn't be such a bad thing, maybe.”

“No, it wouldn't. I'd like you to stay.” Connor reached out for his hand, squeezed it tightly in his. With Troye, it felt like time slipped past faster than it should. Like he could never get enough time with him before it all passed him by.

Troye looked as if he really wanted to stay too, but instead he sighed and pulled himself away. “You know I'd love to, but I have stuff to do for my music back home. And the tickets for this flight were insanely expensive.” He paused, took Connor by the hand one more time. “But I'll miss you every day. I'll call you when I get home. All right?”

“Okay.”

Together, they went into the airport and checked his luggage, but then Troye had to go through airport security, and Connor couldn't follow him any longer. And maybe he wasn't sure quite why yet, but Connor pulled his phone out of his pocket and turned on the camera.

“Do you have any final words, Troye?” he asked.

Troye laughed, looking right into the lens. “For all the filming you do, you continue to fail at vlogging. Why should I say anything when I know this won't ever go up?”

Connor grinned. “Well, if you know it won't get to the Internet, then you can say whatever you want.”

“Fine, I love you, you piece of shit.” Then Troye threw out a few more expressive expletives, drawing the eyes of several unamused travelers as they walked past. The two of them only laughed.

“I'll see you soon, Con,” Troye said finally. He raised his hand and offered a tiny wave before he turned away.

“See you soon,” Connor echoed. Because 'see you soon' was different than goodbye. It was a promise.

As Troye walked towards airport security to get scanned and x-rayed by the TSA, Connor turned the camera to follow him as he left. Quietly, he said to only the camera, “I'll miss you, Troye boy.”

* * *

**Troye**

**Present: August**

“Troye, I think your father needs some help in the garage,” his mother said, knocking on his bedroom door before coming in.

“Why would Dad want my help in the garage?” scoffed Troye, scrolling further down his Tumblr feed. He was incredibly bored. All the work was done for his music, and none of his local friends were available to hang out tonight. He'd stayed in bed practically all day, except to shower and grab snacks.

“Please just help him, Troye. I'm making dinner.”

Troye groaned and closed his laptop. It was probably for the best, seeing as his computer was starting to overheat and burn his lap through his jeans. Dramatically, he rolled off the bed and onto the floor, lying there face down. His mother raised her eyebrows at him and did not look very amused.

“I'm going.” Troye walked past her and padded down the stairs in his bare feet. He crossed through the kitchen to the entrance of the garage. However, when he pulled open the door, he noticed that the garage was totally dark. “Dad?” he called into the blackened room.

Troye stepped inside, fumbling to find the light switch on the wall. “I guess Mom was right; you do need help. You can't even manage to keep the lights on—”

But suddenly, the garage doors began to rumble as they slid upwards. Sunlight from outside poured in, a foot at a time. When the doors were fully open, Troye started to approach the driveway, utterly confused. “What's going on?”

That was when what he least expected to happen, happened. From around the corner of the house, Connor, the boy he hadn't seen in a month, walked into view. The rays of sun framed his silhouette as he approached—Australia looked good on him.

The reaction was instantaneous. His heart pounded and his limbs shook as Troye ran up to meet him, throwing his arms around his neck. “You're kidding me. You're fucking kidding me, Connor.”

“No, it's me. I'm here.” Connor's arms wrapped around his waist, pulling him flush against him. “I flew out this morning, or yesterday, I really don't know. I'm jet-lagged as hell, but... I'm here.”

Troye pulled away, a few inches but still in reach. “You could have fucking told me. I about had a heart attack when the garage doors started going. I thought someone was about to murder me.”

“Sorry, I wanted it to be a surprise. I got your mom in on it.”

“I figured.” And Troye couldn't wait any longer—he leaned in to kiss him square on the mouth. It was long but soft and romantic, a proper reunion kiss. When they separated, Troye asked, “So, you're aware you utterly stole this idea from Jack Harries?”

“Yeah, I took a little inspiration from him.” Connor smiled, and it was the smile that Troye forgot he missed. “But I couldn't bear to be apart from you any longer, so this was a long time coming. It had to happen.”

Troye dragged a hand through Connor's hair, down the side of his neck and onto his shoulders, becoming accustomed to the feel of him again. Albeit right in his front driveway, perfectly in his neighbor's view. Whatever, he didn't care. “And, if you're anything like Jack, I expect this is being filmed right now.”

Connor laughed. “Yeah, it's set up over there.” He jerked his head to the left side of the driveway, where his vlogging camera was carefully propped up against some rocks.

“Well, if you're filming on that camera, I don't expect to ever see the results. It's like the camera of no return. You literally never upload on your second channel.”

“Actually, I think this is going on my main channel.” Connor stepped away from Troye, let his hands fall to his sides. The corner of his mouth tweaked up in a half-smile.

“Wait... what?” Troye wasn't expecting to hear _that._

“You may have noticed I've been filming quite a lot of things that never make it to the Internet. Well, it's because I've been saving them up for a pretty important video.” Connor walked over to his camera, picked it up. “I wanted to make something for you.”

Troye let out a huff of laughter. He couldn't believe it. “What, you mean like 'A Film for Troye?'”

“Exactly.” Connor strolled back towards him. “Exactly like that.”

And well. Troye wasn't expecting that. He half-expected they'd stay in the shadows until the end of time or until someone slipped up and revealed their relationship. This was unexpected.

“But... you're not out. You never told your audience about your sexuality, and you never told people about us.”

“I know.” Connor turned his camera to face Troye. “But I think this video speaks for itself. I don't think it really matters if I'm gay or bi or whatever. I don't even know the answer to that. Because the only thing that matters is that we're together, and I'm in love with you.”

Troye didn't know what his face looked like, how his expression changed with Connor's words, but the camera saw it all, and he figured he'd find out soon. Maybe it should have been awkward, the camera held between them, but he knew down to his core that this was something else—this was special. “I love you, too,” he said.

* * *

Troye and Connor spent the next week together in Perth. They ate dinner with his parents most nights, and his mother and father instantly warmed up to Connor. But, well, who wouldn't? Troye showed him all his favorite places around the city, like the most delicious restaurants and the best beaches. And, though it was winter in Australia, they ran through the waves until their toes froze.

They remained active on social media, tweeting about the locations they visited and Instagram-ing the sights. As expected, they were bombarded with questions on Twitter and Instagram. Their viewers on Tumblr were going crazy with theories and feels. Still, they addressed nothing directly.

One night, they filmed two collabs. It wasn't like a Boyfriend tag or some kind of how-well-do-you-know-each-other questionnaire. For Connor's channel, they filmed one of the silly challenge tags floating around YouTube, and for Troye's, they just got a little tipsy and talked—being completely themselves. They didn't ham up or play down their relationship. They just filmed as they were, and that was it.

On Thursday, Connor settled on Troye's living room couch and edited for several hours straight. Troye was worried, bringing him periodic mugs of coffee and snacks, but he was working hard. Apparently, Thursday was Connor's editing day, and he had a lot to do. Eventually, Troye sat beside him and started to edit the collab for his channel, to be close to him.

Connor's video for Troye was difficult to put together. He had months of random footage stored in a folder on his desktop, and he had to figure out the tone, script, music, visuals, everything. It was quite a project—he wanted it to be perfect, he wanted to say something—and by the end of Thursday, he still wasn't done.

“Come on, Con. Come to bed,” Troye said in his best impression of a seductive voice. He tapped Connor on the shoulder, but he continued to stare into his glowing laptop screen.

“I still have work to do,” Connor replied, continuing to click and scroll.

“You can work tomorrow.” When he didn't look up, Troye took matters into his own hands. He grabbed the laptop from him and turned it around. He saved Connor's progress (very considerate of him) and set it on the living room table. Then he climbed over Connor, straddling his thighs, and said, “Your viewers can wait for this video.” He moved his hands to Connor's shoulders, dug his fingertips into the flesh there. His muscles felt stiff, and he let out a groan as Troye gave him a pseudo-massage. “But I can't wait.”

“Can't wait for what?” Connor asked, cocking his head to the side and grinning.

“I can't wait for you to shut up and come to my room so we don't scandalize my parents, you idiot.” Troye pressed one quick kiss to the corner of his mouth before taking Connor by the hand and practically dragging him up the stairs. Connor was only too happy to follow.

* * *

**Connor**

**Present: August**

Connor worked a few hours each day on his video for Troye, in between visiting fun places or taking random roadtrips along the coast of western Australia. He chatted with Troye's parents and siblings, getting to know them all better. He was surprised how well he fit in with the family, accent notwithstanding. When he finished editing the video Sunday, right on time, he knew that it was without a doubt his favorite video he'd ever made.

Maybe the best one, too.

Sunday night, Connor messaged Jack about the video. He'd obviously taken quite a lot of inspiration from his, and he wanted to be sure that Jack was okay with it.

 

 **Connor:** Hey, man, I just wanted to let you know that I was really inspired by your video for Ella, and I made a trip of my own to surprise my significant other. I wanted to be sure you were okay if I upload the video. I'll put a shoutout to you in the description and a link.

 **Jack:** No problem! I hardly have monopoly over every romantic gesture.

 **Connor:** Okay, great. I just wanted to let you know. I mean, I kinda copied your basic idea.

 **Jack:** That's absolutely fine. I'm sure your video will be wonderful—I'll definitely be watching. So, who's the lucky person?

 **Connor:** You might have heard from someone, but it's Troye. We've been together over five months.

 **Jack:** Haha, I totally knew it.

* * *

Time zones were still kind of confusing to Connor. He uploaded the video, “A Film for Troye,” at 8 PM in Perth, which was very early morning across the States. He expected to not get much response for at least a few hours, but he was wrong.

The number of views grew exponentially once the video got past the “301 views” point. Tweets and messages flooded in. Through it all, Troye sat beside him, head set on his shoulder as he scrolled through his social media and watched the intense response. But after a few hours, he grew too tired to keep any further tabs. He figured when he woke up, the storm would have either broken or he'd have a lot to wake up to.

On his bed, Troye curled against him, warm and solid, and they breathed together until they fell asleep.

* * *

When Connor woke up, he could fully evaluate the situation. The response was overall positive, though there was some negativity mixed in. Some fans cried foul, wishing Troye was with Tyler or Connor was with... them. But so many other people were glad, happy that they were together and that they were being so honest. His friends tweeted words of support, and both “A Film for Troye” and “Tronnor” were trending on Twitter.

 

 **Tyler:** _So happy 2 of my best friends were finally ready to share with the world what's been making them so happy. I will ship #tronnor forever._

 **Tyler:** _PS I was the one who told Connor to go to Australia. You're welcome._

 **Zoe:** _If you want to cry your eyes out and then smile forever, watch “A Film for Troye” by @ConnorFranta._

 **Jack:** _So glad to have inspired a little more romance in this world. @ConnorFranta and @troyesivan I'm so happy for you both._

 

To Connor's greater surprise, there was even a little article written up about the two of them on BuzzFeed. That seemed unreasonably fast, but incredibly flattering.

 

_Last month, YouTube had “A Film for Ella,” documenting a sweet trip made by Jack Harries of JacksGap to visit his girlfriend in Australia. It was genuine and designed to pack an emotional wallop, but we have to say, we find this month's answer to the viral video even cuter. This time, it's called “A Film for Troye” and was created by Connor Franta, a Minnesota-born LA resident known for his involvement with the collab channel Our Second Life. His typical videos include jump-cut-filled Q & As, romantic advice, and fun skits, but this video shows there's a bit more to this 21-year-old._

_Apparently filmed over about five months, the 6-minute video documents the relationship between Franta and Troye Sivan, a fellow YouTuber and singer. (His first EP TRXYE will be out in a week.) The film features clips of Skype calls, much like Harries' video for his girlfriend. However, this video goes further to include “vlog” footage of a train ride in Italy when the couple is new, as well as an emotional goodbye at LAX when Sivan leaves to go back home to Australia. At its barest and most vulnerable, the video shows Franta sitting backstage at Vidcon (a YouTube gathering in Anaheim for those living under a rock) while Sivan reveals his music onstage. There are tears in his eyes, and his voice wobbles as Franta reveals that Sivan has written songs about him._

_At last, the video concludes with Franta taking an overnight flight to surprise his boyfriend in Perth. Their reunion is just as sweet as you would imagine it to be._

_But what is truly remarkable about this video—aside from its unbearable cuteness and overflow of feels—is that it comes totally free of explanation. Franta made a video in 2011 saying “I'm Not Gay” but rarely commented on his sexuality after that. In “A Film for Troye,” he does not clarify whether he is gay, bisexual, or any of the numerous other possibilities. The video simply shows that he is in a relationship with a man and is in love._

_That's all that matters, really. Label or no label, love is love. And we think that's beautiful._

 

Connor felt like his heart would explode. He'd never imagined a popular website would write such an in-depth and positive article about him and his video. This felt like entirely too much. He didn't realize he was crying until Troye swiped his thumb across his cheek, sweeping away the tears.

“I told you there was nothing to worry about,” he said, kissing him on the cheek.

Connor took a deep breath, his inhale stuttering through the tears that wouldn't stop flowing. “Thank you. For everything.”

“You don't need to thank me.” Troye put his arm around Connor's shoulder, folded up against him. “I wrote you some songs. You made this beautiful video and came and saw me. I think we're even.”

“Yeah. We're even.” Connor turned his head a few degrees so he could press his lips to Troye's. He wondered when Troye started tasting like home.

When they pulled apart a minute later, their lips parting with a soft sound, Troye enclosed his hands in his, long fingers circling his wrists. Connor glanced down, studying the way they intertwined so perfectly.

Then Troye asked him one more question. “Do you think we could watch the video again?”

* * *

**A Film for Troye**

_I first met Troye at Playlist Live in 2013, and I had no idea then how close of friends we would turn out to be. The one person I have to thank for that is Tyler Oakley, who brought us together like no one else could._

_When we hung out with Tyler in San Francisco in February, that was when I knew. I don't know how I knew, I just did. I didn't say anything._

_It was a month later, in Italy, that I finally told Troye how I felt about him. I was so scared, heart pounding like crazy, but he... He liked me too. For whatever reason. He asked me to be his boyfriend on a train._

_Separations were always hard, but we stayed in touch over Skype. It was around this time that I started filming us more and more. I don't know how, but I thought it would be important some day._

_We met again during Vidcon, but when it was time for leave, I couldn't say goodbye. I could only say “See you soon” because that's a promise._

_And I kept that promise. I decided we couldn't be apart any longer, so with a little pushing from Tyler, I bought a plane ticket for Perth and left at the beginning of August. I surprised him at his house._

_I made this video for two simple reasons. One, to tell Troye how much I care for him, how much I love him. And two, to let you, my viewers, know about a part of my life that is so important to me. I've hidden this from you all for a while, but now I need you to know._

_Because some secrets are meant to be shared. And Troye is the best secret I've ever kept._

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading! Feel free to leave a comment and leave me a prompt if you liked it!


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